Being in the Moment in Nature lets the Wonder and Magic of the World in
December 2024
In a world that seems to revolve faster and faster, tamariki have little experience of slowing down or understanding stillness, or of being in the moment.
Slowing Down / Stillness
Slowing down and being still lets you connect with the moment you are in. You are present to all that is going on around you in that moment. Rarely in nature, do things happen quickly. Ecosystems, and the organisms within, slowly adapt and change over time. For our tamariki it takes time to make sense of what they are experiencing. It can be messy...
Stillness embraces slowing down, finding time to still our bodies, mouths, and minds. One of the simplest ways to encourage stillness is to still our bodies and just breathe.
Being still and silent lets the wonder and magic of the natural world come into our lives. Silence is a learning tool, it gives us time to make sense and reflect on what we have seen, heard, felt, or smelt.
Physical stillness allows for noticing, questioning, thinking, and conversations. Being fully present in the natural world is a teacher in itself.
What can this look like? Closing your eyes and intentionally quietening our minds to hear the sounds of nature, feel the wind on our cheeks, or laying down in a field and watch the clouds drift by, or notice the sparkling of the sun dappling through the leaves, or examining the spider web perfectly formed between two branches.
Silence gives tamariki the intellectual space to notice and make sense of the world around them, to connect to and wonder about what they experience.
Stillness matters for the minds of tamariki. They need opportunities to reduce the chaos of their minds and focus on one task at a time.
Being in the Moment
If we are truly in the moment with tamariki, we are able to hear the questions tamariki are asking, read the curiosity in their eyes, and notice their need to explore through their senses.
We as educators have opportunities for intentional practices, to facilitate moments of stillness, to model how to reflect on the experiences.
Think about how many times you talk when out in nature. How many times do you point to something you have seen such as a stick insect, then fire off numerous questions? Where instead you could point and be silent in wonder together and wait for their questions.
